Thursday, July 26, 2012

Are You Into BMX Bike Racing?

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the ABA
BMX Midwest Nationals for BMX racing bikes. BMX stands for Bicycle Motocross.
The competition was held in my city, Rockford, Illinois.

Now, I’m embarrassed to
say that the races have been held in Rockford for twenty-six years, but I never
attended before this year.

Competition was held from Friday through Sunday and I went
on the last afternoon of racing. I also went in hopes of meeting a friend from high
school and College, Jerry Landrum.

Jerry raced in BMX during his younger years,
and he’ll probably tell you he continued on in it beyond when he should have
stopped.

On Sunday, I saw racers who were solidly into their 50’s. If there
were older competitors, I didn’t hear the ages.

I asked around at the track, to see if Jerry was there on
Sunday afternoon. Several officials and another professional photographer said
he wasn't. The photographer told me, “No,” none of the big BMX photographers were
there on Sunday. I found out later that Jerry was there. It’s just that he stayed high up in the stands for his
shots that day, while I prowled around the grounds and the infield. Too bad. It
would have been nice to see him.

Here’s a link to Jerry’s excellent web site, BMX Mania http://bmxmania.comEverything
you could possibly want to know about BMX racing is on this site because Jerry
is one of the top experts in the field.

Interesting, the starting gate used in all BMX racing in the
world was made at a company here in Rockford, also.

Many former competitors in Rockford will be at the Olympics
in London, so I hope you’ll watch for the BMX events in the days ahead. Jerry
will be there, too, taking more of his stunning pictures.

At the weekend races here, 28 states were represented. More
than 1,250 riders participated. I honestly couldn’t believe how gigantic this
event actually was. The track is considered possibly the best in the country.

I also saw some pretty spectacular accidents where riders
were hurt. Keep that in mind if you’re considering entering the sport.

And
girls compete as well as the boys, men, and women. Each races in his or her own
class, including pro.

My photographs don’t hold a candle to Jerry’s, but these are
just a few examples of the competition anyway.

About Me

Using his extensive experience in dramatic film, video, and TV commercial production, Max Elliot Anderson brings that same heart-pounding, visual excitement to his middle grade adventures & mysteries for readers 8 and up